Spam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime—from Global Epidemic to Your Front Door

· Sourcebooks, Inc.
4.0
37 reviews
Ebook
320
Pages
Eligible
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About this ebook

A New York Times bestseller and winner of a 2015 Prose Award!

There is a threat lurking online. A secret war with the power to destroy your finances, steal your personal data, and endanger your life.

In Spam Nation, investigative journalist and cybersecurity expert Brian Krebs unmasks the criminal masterminds driving some of the biggest spam and hacker operations targeting Americans and their bank accounts. Tracing the rise, fall, and alarming resurrection of the digital mafia behind the two largest spam pharmacies—and countless viruses, phishing, and spyware attacks—he delivers the first definitive narrative of the global spam problem and its threat to consumers everywhere.

Blending cutting-edge research, investigative reporting, and firsthand interviews, this terrifying true story reveals how we unwittingly invite these digital thieves into our lives every day. From unassuming computer programmers right next door to digital mobsters like "Cosma"—who unleashed a massive malware attack that has stolen thousands of Americans' logins and passwords—Krebs uncovers the shocking lengths to which these people will go to profit from our data and our wallets.

Not only are hundreds of thousands of Americans exposing themselves to fraud and dangerously toxic products from rogue online pharmacies, but even those who never open junk messages are at risk. As Krebs notes, spammers can—and do—hack into accounts through these emails, harvest personal information like usernames and passwords, and sell them on the digital black market. The fallout from this global epidemic doesn't just cost consumers and companies billions, it costs lives too.

Fast-paced and utterly gripping, Spam Nation ultimately proposes concrete solutions for protecting ourselves online and stemming this tidal wave of cybercrime—before it's too late.

"Krebs's talent for exposing the weaknesses in online security has earned him respect in the IT business and loathing among cybercriminals... His track record of scoops...has helped him become the rare blogger who supports himself on the strength of his reputation for hard-nosed reporting." —Bloomberg Businessweek

Ratings and reviews

4.0
37 reviews
CJ Harries
October 28, 2018
This is drenched with Krebs tooting his own horn instead of writing about cybercrime. If that's his style, I suspect branching off on his own didn't exactly happen the way he portrays it.
1 person found this review helpful
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Joseph Henkel
December 12, 2014
A really great read! The book sheds insight into the cybercrime underground providing details around how cyber criminals operate and how they profit from their activities. The book does a great job defining terms and concepts for the non technical audience making it a great read for anyone.
4 people found this review helpful
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DJ
January 24, 2017
What a great read! Such fascinating insight on an industry so few would know. Scary to think what these people are capable of doing too. But now I feel more informed and knowledgeable. Enjoy the read.
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About the author

Brian Krebs is an award-winning journalist, founder of the highly acclaimed cybersecurity blog KrebsonSecurity.com, and author of the New York Times bestseller, Spam Nation. For 14 years, Krebs was a reporter for The Washington Post, where he authored the acclaimed Security Fix blog. He has appeared on 60 Minutes, CBS This Morning, CNN, NPR, Fox, ABC News, and in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, USA Today, and more, and has been profiled in the New York Times and Bloomberg’s BusinessWeek.

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